Mchale Drops A Bad Idea

You've got to like a man who knows a bad idea when he hears one, even if it's one of his own. This is what happened with U.S. Rep. Paul McHale's plan to have an office in Allentown City Hall.

The space Mr. McHale and his would-be host, Mayor Joseph Daddona, had their eyes on is an employee lounge on the fifth floor. The symbolism of that location could not be worse. To its south is City Council's chambers. To its north, the mayor's office. These branches of government clash more than they cooperate, and they disagreed about whether Mr. McHale should move in.

Not that another place inside City Hall would have been any better. The building is overcrowded, and for the last three years the search for new space has been a topic before City Council.

So, a day after he suggested it, Mr. McHale changed his mind and said he's going to the Hamilton Financial Center at 7th and Hamilton instead. Good for him. The last thing needed on the fifth floor of City Hall was something else to fight about.